Erykah Badu responds to backlash after saying she 'saw something good in Hitler'

Opinionated singer speaks out after facing criticism for comments she says were taken out of context

Erykah Badu. Credit: Rex Features (Rex Features)

Erykah Badu has responded to her critics after a recent interview in which she talked about "seeing something good in Hitler".

The Baduizm singer gave a controversial interview to Vulture earlier this week, in which she addressed her own ethics.

She said: "I’m a humanist. I see good in everybody. I saw something good in Hitler…. Yeah, I did. Hitler was a wonderful painter.”

When the article's author, David Marchese, prodded her for more of an explanation, she just equated her thoughts to being a Pisces.

"You know what’s right in your mind and your heart, and if you’re strong enough to detach from the hive then sometimes, just sometimes, you may be able to do the right thing," she explained.

After it was published, Badu spoke about about the interview on Twitter, saying she didn't mind that her comments were going to be picked apart.

"I don't care if the whole group says something, I’m going to be honest," she explained. "I know I don’t have the most popular opinion sometimes."

The neo-soul singer's words were deemed "problematic", to which she replied: "Say what u must. Dialogue is cool. I invite it. But please do me a favour if you can, Black & Jewish Twitter, just don’t use the word ‘problematic’ any more."

Badu added: "The media is banking on our ignorance. Know we won't read the whole thing. They'll use controversial quotes with trigger words as click bait."

She then wrote that she didn't "support the cruel actions of psychopathic Adolf Hitler" but she wanted to "exaggerate a show of compassion."

She continued: "Either U read the entire VULTURE interview & U understood the message of compassion CLEARLY. OR U only read the selective, out of context Headlines, & were drawn in2 the whirlpool of collective emotional grief. I don't want 2 force U 2understand the way I love. I'm hopeful tho."